Piggyback Chronicle ?
by Aqua Alta
Summary: Ryoma Echizen: the young Prince of Tennis with his arrogant and unsocialized attitudes. Sakuno Ryuzaki: a shy girl who has weak legs as the result from a tragic accident. When the two meet, piggyback ride is the only solution. RyoSaku.


_PIGGYBACK CHRONICLE (?)_

**Author's Note: (Aqua Alta)**

**Yeah, my first non-one-shot PoT fic. Warning for some OOC-ness and lousy romance. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT. If I do, why am I writing fanfic right now?**

**Full Summary:**

_Echizen Ryoma: sixteen years old tennis prodigy who is simply too unaware of the normal life of a teen for his own sake with a perverted father (who is actually the Samurai, Echizen Nanjiroh), going to enter Seigaku Senior High, first grade. Ryuzaki Sakuno: a clumsy and oh-so-shy girl who just experienced a tragic accident and is now learning to walk again, since the accident has left her a trauma, weak leg muscles, and crutches. Currently living with her grandmother after her parents died in the very same accident, going to enter Seigaku Senior High, first grade. What will happen if these two teens meet? AU, warning for some OOC-ness._

_CHAPTER 1: SWING THE RACKET_

"Sakuno, get up! This is your first day in your new school, isn't it?"

Deep mahogany eyes flung open, and a pair of twin braids swung. "Mou, Obaachan, it's still 6:05 a.m.!" Ryuzaki Sakuno complained, getting out of her bed carefully. Ryuzaki Sumire entered her room, a frown etched on her brows. "Sakuno, how many times I have told you not to get up by yourself? Remember when you fell down last week. That was such a nasty fall," her grandma said, handing her a pair of crutches immediately. The girl received them with a relief, yet then turned to the older woman and said with a smile, "Daijoubu desu, my legs are definitely stronger now."

Sumire sighed, "As what you said."

**XXX**

Sakuno walked nervously toward the station, supporting herself with her crutches. It was hard holding the crutches and her school bag at the same time, something which she found out too late. However, her Obaachan—who happened to be the tennis coach in her school—was not coming to school that day, since she was going to attend some important meeting. She had offered to give her granddaughter a ride, yet the young girl had refused. Ryuzaki Sakuno had promised silently not to bother her Obaachan in any way possible.

She got into the train, stumbling slightly. When at last she was seated nicely on the seat with her crutches on her side, she let out a relieved sigh, feeling safe at last.

Suddenly, several guys stepped in front of her, their backs facing her. One of them was holding a racket, and he seemed to be so proud of it.

"Look, this is the right grip, you fools! See, we swing it like this!" the racket-holder said, swinging the racket mightily with unnecessary force that when the racket swung back, it hit her forehead, hard. Not expecting the impact, Sakuno's head was slammed onto the window of the train, and immediately she slipped off from consciousness.

**XXX**

_'Shampoo…,'_ Sakuno thought aimlessly, her mind hazy and her head heavy. _'Something smelled like shampoo. And grape Ponta.'_

She stirred, wondering what happened to her. The scene in front of her was moving, yet she soon realized that she was not walking at all. Besides, her right cheek was pressed on something warm….

"You awake?" a voice asked, and her heart leaped. "W…where am I!" she exclaimed, sitting up straight so suddenly.

"Oi, don't move suddenly!" the voice shouted in annoyance.

Sakuno scanned her surroundings. She was on a mysterious guy's back, a guy with a huge tennis bag slung over one shoulder and her crutches on another. Her school bag, she noticed, was being held between her body and his. She wondered how the guy managed to bring his stuff, hers, and _her_ at the same time.

"Go…gomen," she said slowly. There was no reply, so she asked cautiously, "What…what happened?"

There was a grunt, yet then a reply came, "One of those silly guys in the train swung his racket too hard that it hit you. You fainted, and I saw from your student ID that your school is Seigaku. So I brought you with me."

He muttered about how the guy's grip was too absurdly wrong, but Sakuno was doing a hard job to keep herself steady. She just noticed how people were staring at them, and, being a shy girl she was, her heart had done a great job in being calm by beating what seemed to her to be ten times faster than the normal rate.

"A…arigatou," she whispered.

"Che, betsuni," said the mysterious guy. He stopped, and Sakuno realized that they were in the front gate of Seigaku already. The guy lowered her down slowly. Although her feet were already touching the ground, she was too afraid to let go, clinging to the guy's shirt desperately for support, cheeks ablaze. There was a sigh, and the boy turned slowly, catching her arms and supporting her.

When Sakuno looked up, she swore that she had never seen such a boy in her life. Cheesy, but the description suited the stranger well.

The stranger was a boy, perhaps around her age, with jet-black hair and natural forest green highlights. His eyes, Sakuno noticed very well, were deep and cat-like, in the color of rich golden. Eyes which were staring at her inscrutably.

The boy handed her the crutches. She received them, head bowed down and saying thank you all the way. "Betsuni," the boy said indifferently. When he did not give her school bag back, she asked timidly, "Eto, may I have my school bag back?"

The boy stared at the bag in his hand, then at her with her crutches and all. Finally, he said, "I will walk you to your class."

That was Ryuzaki Sakuno's first meeting with Echizen Ryoma.

**XXX**

"Arigatou," Sakuno said as Ryoma helped her onto one of the last two available seats in the classroom. "Ah, I haven't caught your name yet…."

"Ryoma, Echizen Ryoma," he said coolly before taking the last seat for himself, right next to the window and also to the shy girl he just helped. _'Long braids,'_ he thought lazily. _'Usually stutters.'_

"Sakuno, Ryuzaki Sakuno," the girl said, smiling a bit. He glanced at the clock on the wall. Fifteen minutes before the bell rang. He could enjoy this girl's company. "Nice to meet you, Echizen-san."

He winced. He rarely did, but, Echizen-san? That was too much. His oyaji was Echizen-san. "Iie," he said slowly. "Ryoma."

Ryuzaki looked up at him, confusion written clearly in her deep eyes. "Ryoma," he repeated. "It's Ryoma."

The girl smiled wide, faint blush creeping onto her face. _'Lots of blushing,'_ he added silently, amusing himself. "Nice to meet you, Ryoma-kun," she said. "You can call me Sakuno."

Ryoma stared at the girl. Sakuno. "…Saku…," he said slowly, as if he did not know her name right and afraid to say it aloud. "…Saku…"

"Ah, you can call me Saku if you want to," Sakuno immediately said, cheeks ablaze. Ryoma kept silent for a moment, yet then nodded briefly and stared out of the window.

That day was going to be more interesting than what he thought.

**XXX**

**There it goes. Finished. What do you think? Give me reviews! Thanks for reading!**


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